Form clamp



Match 5, 1929.

A. H. SYMONS FORM CLMIP Filed March 12, 1928 FQ H H Patented Mar. 5,1929.

UNITED STATES 1,704,307 PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR H. SYMONS, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, assrenoa To sinuous mm a mire.

GOMPANY, or CHICAGO, rumors, A conc usion or rumors.

FORM CLAMP.

Application flled uarch 12, 1928. Serial No. 260,909.

The invention relates to clamps for holding together the separablesections that form a mold into which concrete or other plastic materialis poured and set in the construction of buildings and other structures,and more particularly to those clamps which comprise. a series ofindependent or separate'units each consisting of a single bar which isadapted to be placed against one of the sections of the mold and has alongitudinal series of spaced wedge'slots at one end thereof, a bracketwhich is rigid] secured to the other end of the bar anc has formedtherein a transversely extending chamber for receiving and holding in socalled overlapped or intersecting relation the slotted end of theadjoining bar, and a wedge which is adapted to extend through slots inthe bracket and one of the slots in the said adjoining bar and isoperative to effect relative movement of the two bars to urge or clampthem against their respective sections so as to hold the latterinconnected relation during the pouring and setting periods.

One objectoi the resent invention is to provide a clamp of tlischaracter inwhich the brackets and the wedge-slots in the brackets areso formed and arranged that,

changeable and may be assembled in either an upright or an invertedposition without effecting or changing the adjustabilit of the clamp.

provide a one-piece clamping bracket for a bar of a form or columnclamp, which is of new and improved construction, embodies as anintegral fpartthereof an anvil which may he used to hammer against whenshifting the bracket into its operative position, and is reinforced soas to efliciently and effectively withstand the comparativel greatpressures or forces to which it is sulijected during use. v

A still further object of the invention is to provide a column clam ofthe aforementioned type, inwhich t is brackets offer 35 a minimum amountof adjustability and are to when the bars are placed in their operativevide a clamp inwhich the units are inter-s compact so that the units maybe conven lently and economically handled during sln ping. i

ther objects will be manifest as the description proceeds. i a

The invention consists in the several novel featureshereinafter setforth and more par-. ticularly defined by the claims at the conclusionhereof. a i

In the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of this specificationand in.

which like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughoutthe several ofone of the brackets.

and the bracket atv p 75 v Figure 6 is an end viewshowing the anvil atthe end of the bracket.

The inventionis exemplified in a clamp for securing together in squaredrelation the four sides or sectionsof a mold for form ing a column ofconcrete, cement,or anyother plastic material. Thefisections areseparable and to ether form a rectangular mold in which the concrete iscured and allowed to set. as well understoo in the art.

The clamp which forms thesubject matter a of the presentinventionicomprises four bars 10 which are made of any desired length aa and are referabl formed of stra iron. A further object of theinvention 1s to p y p One end of each baris providedwith a: longitudinalseries of transverse openings or slots 11 which are spaced equidistantland are adapted to receive a substantial V- shaped wedge 12. The otherends 0 the bars are provided with. brackets 13 which are adapted toreceive and hold the slotted ends as shown in Figure .1; In applying theclamp to a mold, the bars 10 are positioned againstgthe sides orsections respectively and in such a manner that the slotted ends projectoutwardly from thecorners of the mold and intersect the brackets 13. IThe slotted ends of the bars are held against outward movement by thebracket and the latter have slots as hereinafter described, whichreceive and support the wedges 12 and cooperate therewith to effectrelative movement of the bars and urge them into clamping relationaround the sections.

Each bracket 13 is formed of a one-piece casting and comprises asubstantially square plate 14: which fits against one face of theextreme unslotted end of the bar with which the bracket is associated.The plate is rigidly held in this position by a rivet 15 which extendsthrough ali ned holes 16 and 17 punched in the bar and platerespectively. At the end margin of the plate is an end wall 18 which iscoextensive with the end of the bar and abuts thereagainst so as toprevent the bracket from rotating or turning relatively to said bar.Projecting outwardly from the wall 18 and disposed adjacent the end ofthe bar is an arm or holding member 19 for receiving the slotted end oi.the adjacent bar. This arm extends at right angles to the plate and barand comprises a lower wall 20 and an upper wall 22. These walls arespaced apart by an end wall 21 to form a transversely elongated chamberor channel 23 which opens toward the riveted end of the bar and isadapted to receive the slotted end of the adjoining or contiguous bar.The latter insertabie edgewise or laterally into the chamber and is longtudinally slidable therein in response to the action or operation of thewedge 12 as will appear here after. The lower wall 20 is flush with thetop surface of the bar so that the slotted bar-end may be laid upon theunslotted and riveted end and slid directly onto said lower wall andinto the chamber 23. The walls 20 and 21 are coextensive and the sidesthereof project laterally with respect to the side edges of the bar andterminate at equal distances from the longitudinal center of the bracketandbar.

The upper wall 22 has formed therein a pair of transversely extendingslots 24 which extend on either side oi the long udinal center of thebracket and bar and are equidistantly spaced therefrom. These slots arealigned with a pair of slots 25 formed in the lower wall 20 and formtherewith a pair of sockets for receiving and supporting one of thewedges 12. .The upper wall has also formed therein a pair of open-endedslots 26. These slots are termed in the ends of said upper wall and arespaced equal distances from the longitudinal center of the bracket.Slots 26 are aligned with a pair of open-ended slots 27 which are formedin the ends of the lower wall 20. The slots 26 and 27 at the side of thebraclret remote from the mold operate in a similar manner to the slots24' and 25 to form. sockets for receiving the wedge 12, it being obviousthat the openended slots at the other side are inoperative in thisposition of the bracket, although when the bracket is used in aninverted position they are operative. The slots in the upper wall andconsequently the slots in the lower wall are spaced apart distanceswhich are different than those between the slots 11 with the result thatthere is always available one combination of slots (24, 11, 25 or 26,11, 27) through which the operator may insert a wedge andupon driving itdown, effect a relative movement of the arm and bar for clampingpurposes. Since the arm is arranged that it terminates at equaldistances from the longitudinal center of the bar and bracket and sincethe wedge slots in the arm are similarly arranged, the bracket U may beused equally as well in an inverted position as in an upr ht position.This operates to facilitate assembly of the clamp units and furthermoremakes it possible to arrange the bars in parallelism by having one setof diagonally opposite brackets in an upright position and the other setin an inverted position. A characteristic of ere tending the sides oithe arm 19 beyond the side edges of the bar and utilizing openendedvv'edge slots isthat the bracket offers a maximum amount ofadjustability and still is con'ipact so that it may be convenientlyhandled during shipping.

To reinforce and strengthen. the parts of the arm that contact with thewedge, the outer faces of the walls 20 and 22 are providcd adjacent theslots with pads or raised portions 28. The end wall 21 is disposed atthe outer end of the bracket and forms an abutment for the outer edge ofthe bar that extends through the chamber 23. The inner end of the lowerwall 20 is provided adjacent the ends of the wall 18 with pair 01 lugs29. The latter extend at right angles to said wall 18 and form therewitha socket in which the nnslotted end of the'bar that is associated withthe bracket tits and is locked against relative movement.

To prevent the upper and lower walls of the bracket from being forcedapart or broken and to strengthen the connection between the plate 14and the arm, a pair of ll-shaped reinforcing members 30 and 31 areprovided. These members are integral with the bracket and extend aroundthe upper end and lower walls as illustrated in Figures at and 5.Tl101l'ltl'l'lb0lfj 30 and 31. are positioned adjacent the outer ends ofthe arm and between the wedge slots. The inner ends of the lower legs ofthese members extend towards each other, as at 32, and then outwardlyalong the side edges oi the plate 14 to form reinforcing ribs To permitthe bracket to be hammered into place, an anvil 34: is formed on theback of the arm. This anvil is formed as an integral part of the endwall 21 and operates to distribute the hammer blows to the various partsoi" the casting from which the bracket is made lill) so that no injuryto the latter will result.

Ribs 35 extend across the central portions of the walls 20 and 22 andare connected to the anvil so as to assist the latter in distributingthe hammer blows and reinforcing the bracket. l I i The clamp isoperated as follows: The bars 10 are arranged againstthe sides of themold respectively in such a manner that the slotted ends cross orintersect the end edges of the unslotted bar-ends at the corners of themold or form and project through the chambers 93 of the brackets as.illus trated in Figure 1. The bars are then manually shifted in alongitudinal direction as far as possible so that "thebrackets operateto jam the bars into close contact or abutting relation with themold-sections. Thereafter the wedges 12 are inserted through the wedgeslots in the brackets and bars tolock the bars against outward movement.These Wedges are then driven down as far as possible to effect relativemovement of the brackets and intersecting bar-ends which results in theunits being shifted towards each other and the inner edges of the barswhich extend between the brackets being urged intotheir clampingposition against the mold-sections; In this manner the mold is heldtogethenwhile the concrete or plastic material is poured and allowed toset. When it is desired to remove the clamp, slight tapping on the smallends of the wedges operates to release the latter so that theymay bewithdrawn and the bars dismantled.

The clamp herein disclosed consists of units which maybe quicklyassembled without selection or relative arrangement and readily appliedto the separable sections; of a mold, includes abracketof new and im-'proved constrnct-ion,and may be manufaclured at a comparativelylowfcost.

While the clamp has been shown and described as consisting of four barsandutilizing brackets which have holding arms ex tending at right anglesto the rivet bearing ends of t-hebars it is to be understood that moreorless barsn'iay be used depending upon the shape of the mold or formand that;

the angle of the arms may be changed accordingly. It is also to'beunderstood that the invention is not to be restricted to the details setforth, since these may be modified within the scope of the appendedclaims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new anddesire tosecure by Letters Patent, is: i

1. A form clamp consisting of a series of independent units adapted tobe placed against the sides of the form respectively, each unitcomprising a bar having slots adjacent one end thereof and an armrigidly secured to its other end, said arm having an elongatedtransversely extending chamber formed therein together with wedge slots-I portion, the slotted ends adjacent the centre of the bars fittingunthe chambers of the arms when the units are assembled, and wedge meansextending through the slots in the bars and arms to clamp the barsaround the form. a H

2. A form clamp consisting of a series independent units adapted to beplaced against the sides of the form respectively, each unit comprisingaflbarhaving slots ad jacentoneend thereof and a transverselyem tendingarm rigidly secured to its otherend u and pro ecting from both sidesthereof, said arm having slots and an elongated transversely extendingchamber formed therein,

the slotted ends of the barsfitting in tfhe chambers of the arms whenthe units are assembled, and wedges extendingthrough the slots in thearms and bars operative to? clamp said bars around the form. A formclamp consisting of independent units adapted to be placed a series ofagainst the sides v ofthe form respectively,

each unit comprising a bar having slots adjacennone end thereof and itseparately formed'one-piece bracket rigidly secured to its other end,said bracket embodyin an arm projecting laterally from each site of ithe bar and having an elongated transverse chamber formed therein, theslotted endsof formedl one-piece bracket rigidly secured to its otherend, said bracketembod ying an arm disposed outwardly of the unslottedend of the bar andhaving closed wedge slots and a transverse chamberformed therein,

the slotted ends of the bars fittinggin the chambers of the arms whenthe units are assembled, and Wedges extending through the slots in thearmsand bars operative to clamp said bars around the form; 3 i

5. A form clam consistingof a series of independentunlts ada ted tobeplaced against the sides of the; orm respectively, each unit comprisinga bar having slots adjacent one end thereof and a separately formedone-piece bracket having a socket formed therein in which the other endof the bar fits and is rigidly secured, said of a series of bracketembodying an arm disposed outwardly of the socket and the unslotted endof the bar and having an elongated transversely extending chamber formedtherein,

the slotted ends of the bars fitting in the chambers of the arms whenthe units are assembled, and wedges extending through the slots andbearing against portions of the arms to clamp the bars around the form.6. A form clamp consisting of a series of independent units adapted tobe placed against the sides of the form respectively, each unitcomprising a bar having slots adjacent one end thereof and a bracketsecured to the other end, having an arm projecting outwardly equaldistances from the sides of the bar, said arm forming an elongatedtransverse chamber and having wedgeslots formed in both sides thereof,the slotted ends of the bars fitting in the chamberso'f the arms, andwedges extending through the slots in the arms and bars operative toclamp the bars around the form. V

7. In a clamp of the character described, the combination of a pair ofbars, the ends of which intersect each other, the end of one of'the barshaving formed therein a longi-- tudinal series of slots, and means forholding the bars inclamping relation comprising a one-piece bracketembodying a plate secured to the end of the other bar, a wall connectedto the plate and fitting against the end edge of said other bar to locksaid plate and bar against relative movement, and an arm connected tothe wall and extending transversely with respect to said other bar, saidarm having an elongated chamber formed thereinin which the slottedbar-end fits and is longitudinally slidable, and wedge means extendingthrough one of the slots and bearing against the arm.

8. In a clamp of the character described, the combination of a pair ofbars, the ends of which intersect each other, the end of one of the barshaving formed therein a longitudinal series of slots, and means forholding the bars in clamping relation comprising a one-piece bracketembodying a plate secured to the end of the other bar,a wall joined tothe plate and fitting against the end edge of said otherbar, and an armconnectedto the wall and extending transversely with respect to saidother her, said arm comprising upper and lower walls and a side wallforming together an elongated chamher in which the slotted bar-end fitsand is longitudinally slidable, the lower wall having lugs positioned toabut against the sides of said other bar to cooperate with the firstmentioned wall in locking the bracket and bar against relative movement,and wedge means extending through one of the slots and bearing againstthe arm.

9. A one-piece bracket for use is securing together the intersectingends of a pair of form clamping bars, comprising means at one endthereof forming a socket for receiving and confining against movementthe end of one of the bars, and an arm disposed out wardly of saidsocket and projecting transversely, said arm having an elongated chamherfor receiving the end of the other bar, and wedge slots formed therein.

10. A one-piece bracket for use in securing together the intersectingends of a pair of form clamping bars, comprising means at one endthereof forming a socket for receiving and confining against movementthe end of one of the bars, an arm disposed outwardly of said means andarranged so as to extend transversely with respect to said one bar, saidarm comprising upper and lower walls and a side Wall forming a chamberfor receiving the end of the other bar, and a U-shaped reinforcingmember connected to and extending around said walls, said member havinga portion thereof extending under and connected to the socket formingmeans.

11. A form clamp consisting of a series of independent units adapted tobe placed against the sidesof the form respectively, each unitcomprising a bar having a cast one piece bracket rigidly secured to oneof its ends, said bracket having formed therein a transverse chamber forreceiving the end of the adjoining bar and being provided with anintegral anvil whereby it may be hammered into its operative position.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 9th day of March, 1928. y

' ARTHUR H. SYMONS.

